Pushing the Boundaries
by quonoeye
Summary: The arrival of a new case puts even more of a strain of Nick and Jen's fledgling relationship. But there may be even worse consequences as the killer comes too close for comfort and one of the team is a victim. Nick/Jen.
1. Chapter 1

**So I have decided in a moment of insanity to start a multi-chap story. But, I couldn't help myself :) So this will be part a case-fic and part relationship, with them interweaving with each other. I will try to update at least once a week, but it may be more or less. Anyway that's enough from me, hope you enjoy and let me know what you think!**

**Disclaimer: I don't own City Homicide.**

**

* * *

**1.

He woke up in temporary bliss, she was in his arms and his world was as it should be.

Nick was pleasantly surprised when he woke up with her, especially after the events of the night before. He was surprised that she had stayed. She was usually stubborn, so he had expected her to flee once he had stormed out of the room, not curl up beside him.

It made him smile. The previous night the two had been disagreeing on the direction of their current relationship. Jen had been insistent that nothing could progress while the current situation was present. She didn't enjoy sneaking around, being secretive or constantly being paranoid that someone would see them. He however, disagreed. Nick was adamant that they could still pursue a relationship even if they were working together. He too didn't enjoy the sneaking around, but he reasoned that as long as he was with her he was happy.

They loved each other, neither one of them could deny it. But, both of them had different opinions on how their future looked together, and that may just be the one thing to tear them apart.

He smiled as he felt her stir next to him; he instinctively moved to put his arm around her waist and pulled her towards him. She was awake now and turned around to face him. Her eyes were still closed, but there was a faint smile on her face. Nick gently pushed away a piece of hair that was obstructing her eyes, pushing it behind her ear. He then leaned over to her a gave her a soft kiss on the lips, not wanting to push to much after their night before.

"Good morning," Jen slowly opened her eyes and her smile became wider seeing him.

"Good morning to you too," he said kissing her forehead, "I didn't think you were going to stay last night."

"I thought about going, but then I really didn't want to. Is it ok that I stayed?" she asked hesitantly. He smiled at the anxious look on her face and responded.

"It's completely ok that you stayed, I am very glad that you did."

"Good," she said closing her eyes again, as if attempting to go back to sleep.

"Hey, no more sleep, we have work," Nick said jostling her slightly.

"No, let's stay here, where it's warm and comfortable," she said whining. He laughed at her acting like a two-year old, he felt slightly honoured that he was able to see her in this state, one she hardly ever let the rest of the world in on.

"Nope, come on. The sooner we go, the sooner we can come back here and be warm and comfortable all night," he told her sitting up, which resulted in the covers being pulled off her. Nick heard her groan and went off in the direction of the kitchen to make breakfast. While in the kitchen he heard her moving around the bedroom, and going to have a shower. He smiled wishing that they could wake up and be like that every morning.

...

Matt Ryan was in full swing that morning. He had just been informed of a very important case about to be sent to homicide and he was urgently organising for the team's arrival. With his recent promotion, he knew he had become more uptight and 'bossy', which made it difficult sometimes to work through cases without any hurdles. But, he knew it was all about being impartial and showing the big bosses that he could preside over his friends without any issue.

What he didn't like about that fact was that he seemed to be losing his friends in the process, but he hoped on this case they make be able to mend some bridges and successfully tackle the biggest case he had been in charge of so far.

He had arrived at the office early, hoping that he could catch some of his colleagues before they started real work. Matt desperately wanted to smooth things over with his team, and hopefully be able to feel like part of the team again, instead of their 'boss'.

The first to arrive that morning was Allie, and then slowly followed by Duncan, Rhys, Nick and Jen. He was glad that they were all together and before announcing their new case decided to talk to them in a more personal manner.

"Guys, while you are all here I wanted to have a quick word with you," he started, he noticed the looks between the five of them, but chose to ignore them and continued. "I have come to realise over the last few weeks, things have been particularly tense between us, the five of you and me. I understand now that a lot of that may have to do with my new position. I don't intend in making things awkward here, and I have come to realise that a lack of communication is present between us. I know it may sound like an excuse, but this is taking a lot to get used to and partnered with trying to be impartial to you, I may be over-stepping boundaries regarding my behaviour towards you..." he stopped there to look at them and see how they were reacting, seeing he had their full attention he decided not to waste it, "I just want to apologise for some of my recent dealings with you all and I really hope we can try to communicate a little better, so we aren't walking around here avoiding each other."

He looked out at the five faces and saw some appreciative looks on their faces. The most important person had a smile on his face, Duncan hadn't been his biggest supporter lately, so he was glad his speech had made that impression.

"Ok, now that that's all settled, if you would all make your way to the conference room, we have a new case."

...

"This morning we received a call from the police station in Mildura. Usually the fact they are calling us is enough call for concern, but they seemed to have found something that could be evidence of a serial killer who is at large. Officer Temple informed us that they had been sent information that they have since researched and have found evidence from other areas in the state which suggests a link between many missing person cases over the State," Wolfe explained once the whole team was in the room.

"Missing person's cases, why are we being told about," Duncan interrupted.

"Well, it seems to Officer Temple that the evidence they were sent could point to homicide," Wolfe continued and picked up a photograph, "This is what was sent to the Mildura police station and it has just come to our attention that very similar ones have been sent to other stations over the state." The team looked at the photograph bug-eyed. The photo showed a severed toe, with an 'old-school' toe tag on it.

"There have been many of these sent, why didn't anyone inform someone of this earlier?" Jen asked curious as to why it had taken this long for all this to surface.

"It appears that no one, before the guys in Mildura received this, thought it was anything overly important. I have no idea why they thought that, but according to the information we are receiving, this has been happening for the last seven months," Matt said taking over.

"How many have been sent?" Nick asked from the corner of the room.

"So far we are being sent ten, but for all we know there could be more. At this point all that we have to point towards a serial killer, is that the handwriting on the tags are the same across the board and the fact that the names that are written on them belong to a missing person who disappear from the areas the toes have been sent to," Matt paused while the team processed and continued, "because we have no other evidence, we are unsure whether or not these people are alive. But given the erratic movement of the areas targeted, it is very unlikely that people are still alive. So that is why we are in charge of this case, it is highly probable that we are dealing with multiple homicides."

The team sat in silence, taking in all they had just heard. This was definitely a unique case and all of them knew it was one that may last for a while.

"So everybody, as you can tell this case is going to be difficult and very time-consuming given the amount of ground we have to cover. I want you all to be well-focused and put one hundred and ten per cent," Wolfe stated, "I want you all to go and have a five minute break, clear your heads and then be back here so we can organise who will do what and hopefully solve this case as soon as possible."

The five were out of their seats quickly all in need of a chance to get in the right head space.

Nick was aware of how important this case was, but he couldn't help but think how it may affect the already strained relationship between him and Jen. He knew that there would be a whole lot of stress on everyone, and he just hoped they could all get through it in one piece and as sane as possible.


	2. Chapter 2

**Hey, sorry this has taken so long. I have been busy finishing school for the year and then had my formal. Thanks for all the reviews, they are fantastic to see. This chapter probably could have been longer but I felt this was a good place to end it. Hopefully I will have the next one up soon. Enjoy and let me know what you think.**

**

* * *

2.**

"Ok, now that you are all back and ready, I will go through the logistics that we have to cover. I have just recently received information that there are photographs that are suspected to be connected to the toes, they are being sent from the respective stations, so hopefully when they come we may have more. For now here is a list of all the alleged victims of the suspected killer," Matt said handing out a sheet of paper with names written on them.

_David Foster – Brunswick  
Charlie McIntosh – Wallan  
Michael Johns – Wodonga  
Sean Copper – Mildura  
Zoe Williams – Echuca  
Jack Pierce – Carlton  
George Isaac – Yarraville  
Abby O'Neil – Geelong  
Steven Campbell – Bendigo  
Peter Crouch – Fitzroy_

Each of them looked at the names intently. Although they were aware earlier that there were many 'victims', seeing all the names written down made it seem more real and more unnerving. There were a few minutes of complete silence, all taking it in before Matt began to speak again.

"As you can see, the disappearances are numerous and spread throughout the state. Also you will notice that a majority of the 'victims' are male, with the exception of two females. It is evident that the killer isn't following any distinct pattern when it comes to his victims. So the most important thing for us to do is to look into each of the victims backgrounds and look for any similarities that could give us a lead on a suspect," Matt told the group.

"Yeah, have the families been spoken to?" Duncan asked.

"At this stage they have only been spoken to once, when the victims first disappeared. Because of the widespread of the areas in question, it will be difficult to coordinate for all of you to be out interviewing families without wasting too much of our time. So what we have organised is for the senior officers on the areas more than an hour out of Melbourne to do a thorough interview of the families. We have sent a list of questions to each station, so that they can get us the information that will be most useful to us in finding this guy," Matt answered before Wolfe took over.

"Now team, this one is a very crucial case, we all need to be at our best and all be communicating as best we can to solve this as soon as possible and hopefully make sure no one else suffers," Stanley said solemnly, "Ok down to the business end of things, today the families of victims will be interviewed, so today I want you to split up and begin to interview the families. Rhys and Allie I want you to interview David Foster, Jack Pierce, George Isaac and Peter Crouch's families, so the two of you will be staying around Melbourne, Duncan and Nick I want you to interview Charlie McIntosh and Abby O'Neil's families, you will be traveling to Geelong and Wallan, so try to be as quick as possible but do so safely. Mapplethorpe, I want you to stay here and go through all the victims' records, if you can find anything even very minute that links any or all of them I want to know about it. Try to find anything to do with their jobs or previous jobs or where they previously lived, just anything that may lead us somewhere. And when the photographs come in I want you to get them downstairs, hopefully the techs may be able to detect something that leads to a location or suspect, "

It was clear that the lecturing had ceased and everyone was now in action mode. The office was bustling with activity as everyone raced around before going to complete their task for the day. Jen casually strode across the room towards her desk, slightly annoyed that she would be stuck inside alone for the rest of the day. However, that did become in itself a blessing in disguise, because as much as she was desperately trying to keep her professional and personal life separate, that was becoming increasingly difficult with Nick constantly near her. She slumped down in front of her computer and began the painstaking task of sorting through hundreds of records, hopefully to find something of use.

…

"So, you and Jen undercover?" Duncan stated suggestively as he and Nick drove towards Geelong.

"Seriously, you had to ask like that," Nick commented keeping his eyes firmly on the road.

"Come on, I have to ask. It's been like a month and no one else has said a word, I need information," Duncan said. Nick used one hand to wipe his face and then put it back to steady the wheel. He quickly shot a look at Duncan and saw from his face that he wasn't going to get out of talking.

"Well stating the obvious we were undercover," Duncan rolled his eyes, "And we had been undercover previously about four years ago, why we were is of course classified. But, anyway we have known each other since then and that's about it," Nick said not wanting to speak more about the subject.

"Really, that's all you've got. You spend I don't even how much time with her and that is all you tell me," Duncan sighed dramatically. Nick avoided eye contact and tried not to show any emotion or reaction to Duncan's words. He knew that if he reacted too much he could very well give them away and given that their relationship was already strained, he didn't want to risk it.

"We became good friends, but for the most part we had to pretend we didn't know each other," Duncan sensed that there was something that Nick wasn't letting on, but he knew that he wasn't going to get anything out of him.

"Well it's good you can be honest now," Duncan quipped hoping to lighten the mood, but Nick couldn't help but think about how wrong Duncan was.


	3. Chapter 3

**Sorry about the wait, so much on this time of year I get distracted. Thanks for all the reviews, they are awesome! I hope to write the next chapter relatively soon, probably after Christmas. Have a Merry Christmas everyone. Let me know what you think of this :)**

**

* * *

**3.

Jen felt relief, even though she would prefer to be out in the field, she was glad that she had some time to be alone. She usually wasn't fond of being left alone with her thoughts, but given her current personal situation she couldn't be more grateful.

At that moment she was despising the tedious task she had been assigned with, painstakingly sorting through what seemed like thousands of records. But, ultimately she knew it had to be done and was thankful to have some form of distraction from the constant conflict between her heart and her head. She sat seemingly alone in the office, with only the sounds of her clicking the mouse to accompany her. Slowly but surely she managed to uncover personal and important details about the alleged victims. Jen pieced together their lives searching for any common thread across them all. Unfortunately she hadn't struck anything useful as of yet.

As the time wore on her thoughts began to wander to the disagreement that she and Nick had had the night before. Naturally she didn't want to be fighting with him, but she did feel some form of happiness knowing that their opinions were out in the open. She knew that if they had continued any further without being honest, the relationship would slowly deteriorate without any chance of repair.

She was confident in her reasoning, she knew ultimately that they couldn't remain together romantically and work together without risk, especially given the high-risk nature of their occupations.

Jen was certain that while he disagreed with her, Nick was aware and fully understood where she was coming from. And similarly she understood his point of view, the illusion that they could successfully separate business and pleasure, but she was also well aware that as the nature of their relationship was to deepen further, that line would be very hard to distinguish between.

She was brought from her thoughts when she felt a tap on her shoulder, turning around she found an officer in uniform in front of her.

"Detective Mapplethorpe?" the officer asked.

"Yes."

"These just arrived by courier, I believe its evidence you have been waiting for," he told her handing Jen the thick yellow envelope. Jen nodded in thanks and slowly opened the envelope. Once opened, she took a deep breath in anticipation for what she may see. She removed the contents and found herself looking at a stack of photographs. Looking at them she found she was looking at bodies, as the photographs went on she found the damage to the bodies increasing. She noticed that after every particularly graphic shot the body would change, obviously the next victim. She also noticed, as they had expected, the location changed as each body changed, which supported their current information.

She knew she needed extra information from the photos that her untrained eye could find. She put the pictures back into the envelope and shut the programs on her computer and began to make her way to the techs. She knew that Paul Winston, whom had helped on various other cases, would either be able to assist her or at least point her to the best person available. When she reached the right floor she made her way to his familiar office.

Knocking lightly on his door she made her way inside finding Paul intently working on his computer as usual.

"Jen," he exclaimed, "I haven't seen you down in these parts for a while."

"Yes, I guess that's a good thing," she smiled; she was fond of Paul especially given the crucial information he had given them over the years.

"In some ways it is," he answered happily, "So what brings you down here now?"

"The case we're working on. Part of our evidence is some photographs of what we believe to be the victims. I was wondering if you could help us get more information out of them or point me towards someone who could," Jen asked passing the envelope.

"No worries, I can sure try to find something and I will ask some of the others if they can give some insight. Leave them with me," he said.

"Thanks, I will need that information as soon as possible,"

"No problem, I'll call you as soon as I've got something," he told her before she left the room. Quickly he began to scan the photos into the computer, hoping to find something of use.

…

It wasn't until the late afternoon that everyone began arriving back at the office. Rhys and Allie were back first at four, both of them quickly writing up the information they had received during their interviews. Duncan and Nick didn't arrive back until five-thirty and did the same as Rhys and Allie before the whole team made their way into the conference room.

"So Rhys and Allie, find out anything useful?" Matt asked.

"There wasn't much apart from what the original interviews had found. All of the families we spoke to said that the respective victims were taken during work hours, all of them had busy jobs so it wasn't for a few days that they were all reported missing. What was interesting though was each of the victims have visited the hospital extensively all spanning over the last twelve months, all of them were visiting family members. When we questioned further there were multiples of hospitals they visited, so I doubt that would be a strong connection," Allie told the group.

"Also all of the families we spoke to said those taken were the main providers of the family, another loose connection between them," Rhys said.

"Ok, Nick and Duncan, anything you found out?" Matt asked.

"Well like the other victims both Mr McIntosh and Ms O'Neil were the breadwinners of the family, Ms O'Neil was a single mother of a twelve year old girl. Mr McIntosh, according to his wife disappeared after a work function, he left for the function but never arrived home. Ms O'Neil was last seen at home, but her daughter at the time was staying at her father's house. Also like the other victims, both McIntosh and O'Neil visited the hospital in the last six months, McIntosh for his father and O'Neil visiting her daughter," Nick informed them.

"The officers in Wodonga, Mildura, Echuca and Bendigo all got similar answers from the other victims' families. This means at this stage all we have is that all the victims were the providers of the family, and all of them visited a hospital recently or in the last few months. Did any of the families receive any contact, like a ransom?" Matt asked the four.

All four detectives shook their head in response.

"Right, Jen did you recover anything?"

"Nothing yet, there was nothing incriminating or suspicious in any of the victims records or any of their immediate families records. Also nothing official linking all the suspects together, all had different jobs and they all grew up where they were living until their disappearances. Earlier I did receive photographs that were sent to the local police stations, I took a quick look at them and they all show each body deteriorating under abuse and torture. And it also looks like each of the bodies are in a different location, but none of the photos accurately show whether or not the victims in them are alive or dead. I took them down and Paul is going to see whether he or another of the guys can detect anything," Jen explained.

"Well, it sounds like we can't do much more until the photos are processed or we get another lead. Rhys, Nick, Allie and Duncan I want you to gather all your information and get it up on the whiteboard, so tomorrow we have something to look at. After that's all done you can go home for the night, all of you get some rest and be ready to go in the morning," Matt said. He left the conference room and the five remaining began to finish what was required before getting ready to leave for the night.


	4. Chapter 4

**Here's the next chapter, thanks for the reviews. Please let me know what you think :)  
Enjoy!**

**

* * *

**4.

Nick stood outside her door at seven that night, in the hopes that they could talk. He had to stay behind to finish paperwork before he could leave for the night so he wasn't able to catch her before she left. He knew she timed her leaving to avoid a conversation with him, but he also knew she would be aware he would just show up later. He knocked twice on the door and patiently waited for her to answer. He heard her footsteps coming down the hallway and heard her unlocking the door.

"What are you doing here?" she asked when she saw who was outside.

"I want to talk," he stated simply.

"I think we said enough last night, don't you think?" she told him.

"We talked, but nothing was resolved. For one I walked out on the conversation and then you stayed the night. So honestly I am getting mixed signals here," Nick said stepping closer to her hoping she would grant him entry to the house. Luckily for him she moved aside, gesturing him to enter.

He made his way down the hallway towards the kitchen and living room, he heard her locking the door and slowly walking back down, trying to prolong their conversation as much as possible. When she arrived in the kitchen she began quickly moving around, making herself look busy and ignore him staring at her. He let her rush around for about ten minutes before he got sick of her avoiding the situation.

"Jen, stop, please. We need to talk and I won't leave until we do," Nick told her firmly. At his sudden outburst she turned from the bench she was cleaning and looked at him. She noticed he looked defeated and tired, she knew she couldn't avoid it any longer, it was inevitable that they would have to talk properly. But, despite her initially initiating it she didn't _really _want to go there.

"Let's sit," Jen said walking to the living room and sitting down in an armchair while Nick sat on the couch opposite her. "What do you want to talk about?"

"You know what I want to talk about, us. About you wanting to put an end to it, I want to talk all of it out and really get somewhere," he said softly.

"I don't know what else I can say. I told you last night, I don't like all the secrecy. I don't want to be sneaking around anymore but if neither of us are willing to give up our jobs, which neither of us are, I don't see how we can continue in a relationship," she told him her hands playing with the corner of a pillow.

"But, things have been fine. Why do things have to change? Yes we have to keep it a secret but, I think it's worth it to be with you. I love you Jen," Nick told her leaning closer to her and trying to hold eye contact with her.

"I know things have been good and I love you too, but it's so much stress having to be quiet and be constantly on edge and worried we will get caught. I don't think I can handle all this anymore and without either of us leaving our job I don't see any other alternative," Jen told him now allowing eye contact. Nick reached for her hand and when he had a hold of it he lifted it up it his lips and kissed it softly.

"Look, obviously you don't _truly _want this to end; otherwise you wouldn't have stayed last night. But, I really want to give you some time to sort things out. But, please, please don't shut me out. I want to talk with you about these things, I want to get through this with us intact, ok," he said running his thumb along her hand.

She nodded and allowed him to hold her hand for a while. She then pulled away and she leant forward and hugged him, trying to reassure him that she really did want to be with him. When she pulled back she gave him a look that simply told him that he should leave. They both made their way down the hallway towards the door in silence, he unlocked the door and opened the door. Before he walked out he turned and kissed her cheek briefly.

"I love you Jen. See you tomorrow," he then turned and left for the night.


	5. Chapter 5

**Here's the next chapter, mostly case related. Thanks for the reviews, very encouraging!  
Enjoy this and let me know what you think.**

**

* * *

**5.

As clichéd as it is, Nick felt the day begin as any other did. He woke up from a restless night's sleep, made coffee and proceeded to make himself presentable for the day. He didn't waste time or prolong the inevitable of going to work; rather he thought on the grounds that the sooner he arrived, the sooner it would be over.

It took him less than twenty minutes to arrive in the city and park underneath the building. The elevator was a slow ride up as people went on and off to their required floor. Longer than it should have taken, Nick arrived on the fifth floor; homicide.

The office was slow, but considering the early hour that wasn't surprising. Nick looked around and realised he was the first to arrive. He decided to relish in the silence and began paperwork that was long overdue. He purposely distracted himself from any lingering thoughts about Jen and the events which transpired the night before. As the minutes wore on the office soon began to become busy, detectives arriving for the day and officers coming to see what they had missed the day before.

It wasn't long until his team began to show, Matt first, followed by Allie, Duncan, Rhys, Wolfe and finally Jennifer. As soon as Nick saw her he could feel the tension radiating between them. Jen was avoiding eye contact as much as possible and Nick was just avoiding her.

"Ok guys, can we all assemble in the conference room, we have something from the profilers that may help us," Stanley said as soon as everyone had arrived. When they made it to the room Nick and Jen sat at opposite sides of the table, which didn't go unnoticed by the rest of the group considering the two usually sat together. Allie looked at Rhys raising her eyebrows, which in return Rhys gave her a 'stay out of it' look.

"Firstly, yesterday we sent all our current information down to profilers yesterday and this morning they sent us back a report. According to them we are looking for a male, 30-40 years old, single, very little family, he is in a steady job but doesn't have authority in his chosen profession. His main aim is to gain attention, to be publicised, but also part of his reasoning behind these attacks is to gain justice, in a rather sadistic fashion, for some wrong-doing committed against him," Wolfe explained.

"So basically we are looking for a no body," Allie asked.

"Yes, someone who is competent in their job, but is underappreciated," he told the group, "Now we also received a report from Ronnie, she has examined what she could from the toes and after cross-matching DNA she has concluded that each toe corresponds to the person whose name was on the tag. Furthermore she also found, after examining the cuts on the toes, that the assailant had experience cutting through bone, as the cuts clean, meaning there was no hesitation."

Everyone in the room shuddered slightly at the image conjured up in their heads after this description. Nick and Jen glanced at each other for the first time that morning both with disgust in their eyes and the information told them, even though they couldn't agree on their relationship status, they both agreed that this man must be caught before anyone else got hurt.

"Since we have no promising leads yet, we are left at a dead end for the time being. I want you to all review your notes and see if you can find anything that may lead us to something, remember what you have just been told and try to find any connections you can. Jen, if you could follow up on the photos, see if they have found anything useful to us. Anybody have anything else to say?" Matt asked. Rhys loudly cleared his throat, all eyes now on him, and stood before talking.

"I was thinking about what Ronnie has found, experience with cutting through skin and bone, is it possible to attribute that to medical. Because if so, we have found that all the victims were in or around a hospital in the last twelve months, perhaps and this is only a theory, could the assailant be someone with a medical background and come across the victims through his place of work. That's just one thought," Rhys said sitting down once he finished.

"While that is a very interesting and possible theory, all the victims lived in different areas, how is it that the assailant managed to come across all of the victims?" Matt asked posing the question to the whole group for discussion.

"Maybe his job allowed for travel, perhaps he was required to consult or assist at different hospitals, whatever his profession is. And looking at the profile, it said he was overlooked or 'behind-the-scenes' when it came to work, maybe that was his cover. No one noticed him, therefore no one would suspect anything malicious from him," Allie suggested.

The group all looked at each other, agreeing that this was a definite possibility. Discussion between was starting when Stanley spoke once more.

"This theory definitely has some potential; I think this definitely poses for further looking in to. Duncan, Nick, Allie and Rhys, I want you to contact the hospitals that the victims visited, loosely explain the situation and ask for a list of any employees who do consultant work at other hospitals or who have left that hospital in the last twelve months. It's not certain, but I definitely think we may find something from this information."

Once Stanley stopped talking, all of them were rushing to their desks, beginning work frantically. They were each determined to find anything and put the killer to rest.


	6. Chapter 6

**This is my longest chapter and the probably the fastest I have ever updated something. Thanks for reviews, I love them. I am not too sure about the last part of this chapter so please feedback is appreciated. **

**Enjoy!**

**

* * *

**6.

It had been a week since they had first received the case and they had yet to find something of substance of concrete. Every lead they thought was relevant quickly fell through and became another dead end. For days they had all been frantically searching for any sign of importance, anything that would break open the case.

Surprisingly and luckily, the case hadn't reached the eyes and ears of the media yet. That was probably due to all suspicions and information being passed on internally, but that was a blessing in disguise. It meant that the events weren't under constant watch and scrutiny from the general public. While the whole team were eager to solve the case, the less pressure they had from outside the better.

Since their 'discussion' a few nights prior, Jen and Nick had been avoiding all contact with each other, unless absolutely necessary. The rest of the group had picked up on the heightened tension between the two, and while they had their suspicions, they were curious as to the events behind it. Regardless to the lack of information they had all learnt that when the two were required to work together it was best to steer clear if you didn't want to be caught in the firing line.

It was noon and they were all called into the conference room for a rundown on what they had so far. Once again the two put as much space between each other as possible and Jen shifted uncomfortably at the relatively small distance given to them by the table.

"Well, this case has been opened for a little longer than desired but unfortunately this case is a tough one. I have called you all in here to go completely through everything we have. Firstly we have ten victims that we know of, all from different areas in the state. The commonalities between them all include; family, they all have immediate family whether that be a spouse and children or one or the other. Each of the victims went missing in a way that made it unnoticed to family until several days after. They were all the breadwinners, so ultimately they were what held the family together, and probably the most interesting 'link' of all is that all the victims have visited a hospital in some capacity over the last twelve months," Matt detailed.

"So apart from that we have no logical reason that all these people would be targeted?" Duncan asked. Everyone was silent, agreeing completely with Duncan's words.

"In commonalities between evidence of the victims' disappearances, we have the photographs which show each of the victims at different stages of abuse and torture, so intense that it is safe to assume the victims are dead. The sending of the toes, each the right toe, is another common element; along with the name-bearing toe tags attached. That is all our solid evidence, but we also have the profile that was made which suggests that the assailant is male, between 30 and 40 years old, single, little or no family and holds a steady but overlooked job. It has also been suggested that the assailant may have medical background. Now a few days ago you looked into the possibility of the assailant being a hospital worker and maybe being a consultant at the hospitals in question. What did that come up with?" Matt asked.

"We called all the hospitals and they sent over employee lists, we compared the lists and we came up with no matches. Unless there is another explanation, it is unlikely that the assailant worked in the hospital." Nick spoke of their work from the last few days.

"Yes, it definitely sounds as if that is another dead end," Matt said disappointed at the lack of progress, "Does anyone else have any ideas?" Jen raised her hand slightly which drew the attention of the room to her.

"If I may, is it possible that the assailant is a hospital worker and has been living under aliases? I mean, as the profile suggests, he is in a job where he is underappreciated, or the importance of his work goes unnoticed, which may lead to him not being noticed as a person. The use of aliases may be required to avoid any documentation of his whereabouts, but because no one remembers his name or could recognise him in a line up, the aliases go undetected," Jen suggested. Matt thought for a few minutes about her words before speaking.

"Now that isn't that crazy, it certainly wouldn't be difficult for him to obtain someone else's identity, personal information is so accessible these days, and if he has used enough aliases, his actual identity may not be remembered by anyone. I think this is a very promising idea, and because the names are all going to be different, we are going to need photo ID's to see if there are any matches between hospitals."

"I can call the hospitals if you want get the ID pictures sent down here," Rhys said wanting to be useful.

"You can do that in a few minutes, Jen was there anything from the photos?" Matt asked.

"Paul said due to the resolution of the pictures it was difficult to zoom into the pictures without them becoming too grainy, he also said that due to the lack of light in the room they couldn't even use reflective surfaces to get any clue on the rest of the location. He said that the locations are most definitely warehouses and due to the lack of windows are most likely in an industrial area where buildings are side by side. It was already easy to tell that all the locations were different, but looking at other objects in the room, it is most likely that they are all used to stack boxes rather than a place for work to be undertaken."

"So, once again a dead end. Well, I guess the most we can do is wait on the ID's. Given the lack of information on this case it seems we have reached the time that we need to contact the media. Although it's not the most desirable option, we need some awareness about this, and hopefully some details are released it may prompt people with information to come forward with information," Matt announced begrudgingly, "Rhys and Allie I want you two on the phone to the hospitals, get them to email the ID pictures ASAP, the three of you, I want you to go through every single file that relates to the lives of the victims, I realise this has already been done, but perhaps with fresh eyes you may pick up on something. I will contact Commander Waverly and tell her about our need to open up for public information."

When the group realised that he had finished talking they made their way out into the office, not before there was an awkward moment between Nick and Jen when decided which of them would leave the room first. Matt who had been seemingly unaware of the tension between these two, raised his eyebrows curiously when he saw the exchange. After everyone had left the room Matt sat down on the closest available chair and put his head in his hands in frustration. He knew the outcome of this case would make or break him; he needed a win, especially given his already questioned future.

….

You watch her examine them for a second time. She is bewildered by the level of precision in the cuts, the apparent care that was taken when the dismemberment was undertaken. You are well aware that she is only doing this for a second time because they have found nothing yet. They are hopelessly failing and can't track you. You have heard all about the details and have been surprised by the accuracy in the profile written. You hide in the shadows and go unnoticed, that was correct, but they are wrong about one thing though; people know your name, the one you provide anyway, they are generous and friendly towards you when they hear of your tortured past.

They are sympathetic; this is their one flaw, the one that makes them the perfect target.

You watch, hidden, as they reach their wits end. They have almost provided what you aim and aspire to achieve. Fame, attention, recognition. They are so in over their heads that they now need to inform everyone of your conquest. You know that as soon as it is made public, they will be expecting a repeat performance, and you will certainly not disappoint. You notice everything those around you don't; you see the hidden touches and hear the hushed conversations. The next target is already in sight, you have it all planned. This will be your greatest achievement, the one that provides the most devastation and the one that allows everyone to know your name.


	7. Chapter 7

7.

You watch them. They are completely oblivious; you are a fly on the wall, totally unnoticed. They are together again, it is rather surprising no one has caught on to their secret yet, you already have and you are invisible. You watch them argue again, it's the third time this week. You can see the cracks, already formed but now slowly opening up more and more. You know that soon it will be time to pounce, time to help them. They will appreciate it in the end, and you will feel the overwhelming pride in aiding them. And if it happens to work in your favour as well then it is just a bonus.

…

The media were like vultures, as soon as their statement had been released the phones were ringing off the hook and they were in droves outside the building. They were already writing multitudes of feature stories about how incompetent homicide were and were having a go at them for 'covering the case up'. The team were slowly going crazy, constant insults sent their way along with the even more frustrating fact that they still had nothing on the case so far.

It had been three days since they made a statement and so far the original reason behind the release hadn't worked. No one seemed to know anything that could be useful. Of course there were the occasional calls from sadists who wanted more details, but no calls so far that lead to anything important or useful.

Nick and Jen were still in an awkward stage, they still avoided each other and had yet to have any follow up conversation to their discussion a few nights ago. The silence was beginning to get on each of their nerves, but neither of them wanted to break the stalemate in fear that it could lead to worse things.

…

Matt rushed into the conference room excited. When he entered he got questioning looks, no one had looked that cheery in a few weeks so his expression caught everyone off guard. He walked to the whiteboard and placed a picture up. It was a woman, looked to be about 30, she had medium length brown hair and green eyes, skin flawless.

"Who's she?" Duncan asked.

"This is Melanie Stanford. She called half an hour ago, claiming to have information about a man matching the general description we released. She said a few years ago she was involved with a man by the name of Julian Walker. According to her descriptions this could very well be the person we have been looking for," Matt explained to the group.

"So what did she actually tell you?" Nick asked, feeling like they weren't getting the whole story.

"Well, she said that he was a very closed off man. He would give all he had to her but, everything to do with his past was off limits. She said he became possessive after a few months, stalker-like, he would constantly want to be near her. She also stated that when she got a promotion in Melbourne, he was angry that she was going to leave him. He was annoyed that she was choosing her job over him," at his words Nick and Jen looked at each other before quickly looking straight ahead, "They were living in Lakes Entrance, so when the opportunity came she made the decision to leave but he saw it as abandonment and a betrayal."

"I'm not saying it's exactly an excuse, but that could explain his behaviour afterwards. He felt lonely, and by the sounds of it he wasn't all there anyway and he felt the need to lash out and 'inflict his own pain on others'," Jen suggested.

"I can understand how he would feel. Being left behind by someone he loves, for something as replaceable as a job offer, he has a right to feel angry," Nick added.

"She shouldn't have to feel bad for wanting to pursue her career, if he loved her that much he could have followed her," Jen said looking Nick directly in the eye. The others in the room could feel tensions rising, and were smart and kept their mouths shut.

"But, what about him, is it right for someone to want a career more than a person? He obviously loved her, why wouldn't she consider him in the equation. And it may not have been easy for him to leave, why should he give up his job?" Nick asked pointedly. Jen jumped up out of her chair, in what Nick recognised as anger.

"Does anyone else feel like there is more to this conversation?" Allies whispered to Duncan and Rhys. She received glares in return.

"You are actually trying to justify his actions. Being dumped by a person is not justification for killing someone. And why should she have to give up her job opportunities to satisfy him. She had every right to follow her intended path," Jen almost yelled.

"I am not justifying what he did; I am just saying I understand his feelings. I know…" before Nick could continue Matt interrupted him.

"That is enough the two of you. I don't know what has gotten into you, but you are both acting very inappropriately. Considering it is now 2 o'clock, I don't think the two of you in this state will be very beneficial to us. I want the both of you to go home, get some rest and please tomorrow be at your best. Because this now is certainly not what we need," Matt said calmly but firmly. The two in question were now pulled back into reality and realised where they were. One after the other they left the room, abiding by Matt's orders and began to make their way home, both extremely embarrassed by the show they had just put on in front of their colleagues.

…

It was later that night when he heard the knock at his door. His heart raced at the possibility of who was on the other side. As he ventured down the hall he tried to remain calm, as not to be let down if the person he wanted wasn't there. However when he opened the door a smile made its way to his face when he saw her standing there.

"I know I shouldn't really be here, especially at this time of night. But I wanted to apologise for yelling at you. I shouldn't have gotten so wrapped up in everything, it wasn't right to take out all my frustration out on you," Jen said the words spilling from her mouth.

"I want to apologise also, I shouldn't have been that harsh. We both shouldn't have been acting that way," Nick said feeling some of the tension defuse between them.

"That's not the only reason I came over, I was wondering whether this weekend I could come over again. Because I have been doing some thinking and I may have been to rash in putting up boundaries between us, so I was thinking we could maybe talk through everything and work something out," she asked nervously, fearing rejection.

"I think that's a fantastic idea." Jen looked up at his words and saw a smile on his face, one that had been missing for the last week; this brought a similar look to her own face.

"Well, that's settled then. I guess I should be getting home, we will probably have a lot of work to do tomorrow," she said now having eye contact with him. He smiled again and hesitantly moved closer to her. When he saw her nod slightly he closed the distance and kissed her softly, reiterating his words many nights ago. When he pulled back he felt lighter and glad that something had been resolved between them. After a couple of quick goodbyes she had left and he was making his way to bed, hopefully to experience his first full nights sleep in while.

…

It was time. It was the perfect time for you to make your move. They would now fully appreciate what you are doing for them, you would in the long run save them the pain you experienced. It would only aid you further now that they were none the wiser to what was around them, only interested in the worlds of each other. It would be a shock for many the next morning, but more so herself. She would experience a life-changing moment, all because of the work of your hands. You will be in the papers again, this time gone that one step further, educating the state on matters of the heart and hopefully through this saving many others from heartache.


	8. Chapter 8

**Anyone who is still reading this after the ridiculous amount of time it has taken to update, I thank you and am so, so sorry that it has taken me this long to churn out another chapter. A combination of school, the end of constant inspiration of new CH episodes, and shear laziness, I have finally managed to finish this chapter and present it to you! I would totally understand if no one was reading this, but if you are, this is for you! I promise, this will be finished and the next chapter won't take a year like this one did.**

**Enough of my babbling, enjoy this and I swear to you the next one will be here before you know it! :)  
**

8.

When Jen walked into the building that morning she felt lighter and more at peace than she had for the last few weeks. She felt wave of pleasure knowing things soon would be as back to normal; as normal as they could be given the case they were investigating. While she always hoped cases were solved quickly, she felt especially anxious about the end of this particular one. Not only was it a very disturbing string of events, but selfishly she wanted it over so maybe she and Nick would be able to dedicate a little more time to themselves.

She casually strolled into the homicide department and noticed she was the first to arrive that morning. She sat down at her desk deciding to make the most of the silence and finish paperwork before everyone came in. She got lost in the tedious task and didn't notice that an hour and a half had passed until the rest of the team began to trickle in at 8.30, all arrived with the exception of Nick, who at 9.00 still hadn't arrived. Jen was slightly unnerved by his absence, but passed it off as him sleeping in, as did the rest of the team.

They hadn't picked up on any other leads so most of the morning was paperwork and chasing dead ends. It was 10 o'clock when Jen really started to worry; there had been no calls from him, no sign of him. She tried his mobile, but that just rang out, which meant she desperately rang his landline hoping he was still at home, that rang until reaching the answering machine. She left a short message, but this was done in vain, she had a terrible feeling that he wouldn't get her message anytime soon.

...

He tried to move, but he felt some form of restraint around his legs and arms, which made it almost impossible to move an inch. He also felt a pressing sensation on his chest, which he assumed was a result of cracked ribs and various other injuries he didn't want to think about. He felt in pain everywhere, in places he didn't know he could feel pain. Slowly he tried to open his eyes. It felt like someone had set a hot iron to his eyelids, because just opening them was painful beyond belief.

Trying to survey his surroundings, he found he was in a dark, large room, possibly a warehouse of some kind, and was lying on cold cement floors. Not exactly a unique holding spot. He closed his eyes and tried to focus on what he could hear. The sounds outside were very muffled and all he could hear were very distant cars, which led him to believe that where ever he was isolated enough that no one would know he was there. His head was pounding which was making it increasingly difficult to think clearly.

He heard footsteps, this time what he heard was very close. Forcing his eyes open again, he vaguely saw a figure coming towards him. While waiting for whatever punishment the figure had in store, he was surprised to see the person do nothing when he was standing over him. Before Nick could question what was happening he saw about six bright flashes, which after adjusting to the sudden change in light was a camera, and the photographs were probably going to be sent to the team, much like the MO of the killer they were currently investigating.

It was then, that Nick truly processed what was happening to him and came to the realisation that he would eventually make it back to homicide, but with a tag on his toe.

...

You smile as you watch him come to and struggle with the bonds tightly holding him down. He looks just as much in pain as the others did, and not yet as appreciative of what you have done for him. Like the others, he may not ever realise the favour you have done for him and sadly, he won't feel the benefits. You see him stop squirming and now only making small deliberate movements. Slowly you make your way to the middle of the room where he is lying, you watch his face full of fear, curiosity and pain. As soon as you are close enough to be towering over him, you pull out your camera and take six precise, quick shots of him. Chuckling to yourself quietly as you watch him suffer from the flashes, you slowly turn around and walk back from where you came.

Finding your way to your office you take the negatives and begin to develop the photos manually, enjoying the hands on approach. An hour or so later once the photographs are dry; you place them in a yellow envelope and carefully write an address on it. Grabbing your coat, you leave the office, planning which route will get you to a post box as well as somewhere to eat for the night.

...

Jen had spent that night worrying. They hadn't heard anything from Nick yet, and after going to his home, herself and the team had been unable to find evidence of forced entry or foul play. Officially, 24-48 hours was the amount of time to pass before a person was considered missing. Since there wasn't a sign of suspicious circumstances, an investigation wouldn't be launched until morning at the earliest. Reaching morning on 2 hours of sleep at the most, Jen was eager to get to the office as not to miss any potential news on Nick's whereabouts. By eight, she was ready to leave the house, and as she went outside, she noticed that the postie had made his rounds earlier than usual.

Reaching the mailbox, she found a large yellow envelope, the contents of which made her sick to her stomach.


End file.
